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Deathgripper
|Source = Franchise}} The Deathgripper is a medium-sized Strike Class dragon that first appeared in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Official Description Development Dean DeBlois stated that the Deathgrippers were designed by Jean Francois Rey."Grimmel's dragons are vicious dragon killers. Grotesque creatures known as Deathgrippers. Design by Jean Francois Rey."'' (Date Posted - June 10, 2018). Twitter. According to Simon Otto, Deathgrippers were inspired by scorpions, black widow spiders, and hunting dogs.Snetiker, Marc. (Date Published - February 1, 2019). How to Train Your Dragon 3: Meet The Hidden World's new Dragons. EW.com. Physical Appearance Egg In School of Dragons, the egg of a Deathgripper is large and oval, with scale patterns all over it. It is red in color, with dark blue, almost black, circular stripes. Hatchling to Adult Deathgrippers are medium-sized dragons with long, sharp tusks protruding out from their lower jaws and a row of armored plates lining on their backs. They have yellow eyes and their coloration is mainly red with black spots and stripes. The tails of Deathgrippers are telescopic, just like a Razorwhip's, and are tipped with a venomous scorpion-like stinger. In place of front legs, Deathgrippers possess jagged, razor-sharp pincers similar to that of a mantis. The dragon's back legs are shorter and thinner with two claws on each of them. Titan Wing Titan Wing Deathgrippers are much larger than the Broad Wings. They have two more tusks, one on each side of their mouths. Their spikes and claws increase in size and are much sharper. Their stingers become longer and their tails become thicker, especially towards their ends. Abilities Acid Blasts Deathgrippers are capable of launching long streams of acid at their intended targets. The acid is green and highly flammable, often catching fire when exposed to oxygen, allowing it to destroy wood, stone, and metal very easily. Venomous Sting Deathgrippers possess a scorpion-like stinger at the tip of their telescopic tails, which they use to inject their venom that has sedative effects on humans and other dragons. The stinger is surrounded by four large scales and is hidden in a club-like sheath when not being used. Deathgrippers typically use their stingers on their prey three times, with the first jab paralyzing the victim, the second killing it, and the third saturating the corpse with poison that paralyzes anyone who touches it. As mentioned in Slaughterdijk's description, Deathgrippers are able to use their stingers to insert a small dose of venom into a small wound on the body of their victim. This dose is small enough that it won't be noticed at first, but it will eventually spread to the rest of the victim's body, paralyzing it and enabling the Deathgripper to make a meal of it. As mentioned in Fenrir's Eviscereaper's description, Deathgripper venom specifically does not numb the victim's pain receptors, enabling the victim to feel the pain of being dismembered piece by piece before finally being put out of its misery. The venom also boasts a potent hypnotic effect that expert hunters make use of to control their intended quarry. Through an injection apparatus strapped to the head, the Deathgripper's venom can warp the minds of the infected into helpless obedience. Strength and Combat Deathgrippers are considerably strong dragons, as four of them are able to carry Grimmel's airship over long distances with no signs of struggle. They can use their pincers to claw their enemies and their stinger is able to pierce through stone as well as pull and pry blocks from structures. A single Deathgripper was able to knock Cloudjumper in mid-flight. Three of the hunter's Deathgrippers were able to burst through the roof of a rock tower and tried to chase the Dragon Riders down with ease. Endurance and Stamina Deathgrippers are able to survive with almost no wounds after being buried under the wreckage of a rock tower. They have large amounts of stamina, as seen by four of them, who are able to travel long distances while also carrying an airship, without showing any signs of exhaustion. Retractable Tusks Deathgrippers possess forward facing tusks that can retract backwards into its lower jaw to be hidden and extend to impale prey or to simply intimidate enemies. According to the Marshland Deathgripper's description, these tusks are also used to lift up plates in other dragon's armor in order to enable the dragon's stinger to be better able to inject venom into its prey. Foreleg Pincers Deathgrippers have front legs that have been modified into pincers. These pincers are used both for walking and for holding prey in place during an attack. The claws of some individuals, such as Glaivedriver, are strong enough to sever limbs. Poisonous Teeth The teeth of some Deathgripper individuals, such as Glaivedriver, can be used to inject a deadly poison into their prey. Speed and Agility Deathgrippers are fast in the air and on land. They can fly fast enough to catch up to a Night Fury and move quickly to deliver deadly strikes on their victims. Acute Senses Deathgrippers have a well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They could tell that Hiccup and the Dragon Riders were approaching Raven Point in the middle of the night. As mentioned in Slaughterdijk's description, Deathgrippers can use their forked tongues to smell blood from up to twenty miles away. Intelligence Being Strike Class dragons, Deathgrippers have a high level of intelligence. This was demonstrated by Grimmel's Deathgrippers, who were able to understand commands through the hunter's whistles and finger snaps. Some Deathgripper individuals, such as Slaughterdijk and Glaivedriver, are capable of planning out complex hunting strategies. These strategies involve staking the prey, creating a brief scuffle in which the dragon fakes a loss, but actually makes a small wound on the prey's body, using the blood from the wound to track the prey, waiting until the small dose of venom in the wound paralyzes the prey, and then dragging the prey to their nest where it is eaten or using the sound of the wind to cover their movements before attacking the prey from above. Weaknesses Deathgrippers are not immune to their own venom, just like the Speed Stinger, and it can even be used against them, such as when Grimmel used it to drug six of them into complete obedience. Behavior and Personality Deathgrippers are highly aggressive dragons that live and travel in packs. They also tend to play with their prey before killing it, with some individuals, such as Fenrir's Eviscereaper, specifically enjoying consuming prey that is terrified and in pain. Despite the pack-hunting behavior that is typical of the species, some individuals, such as the Miasmic Deathgrippers, are solitary due to their cannibalistic nature. Upon hatching, the babies are so focused on food that they start to eat each other in order to obtain sustenance, with the only survivors being those who manage to get away from the others. It is because of this behavior that these Deathgrippers lay thousands of eggs in a single nest, hoping that at least a few will be able to survive the slaughter and eventually produce the next generation. This solitary behavior is only broken during the mating season, where female Deathgrippers eat their mates in order to ensure that their eggs will mature faster. Other individuals, such as Glaivedriver, are solitary based on personal preference rather than behavior. Training Deathgrippers are extremely difficult to train, but a person can train one by imprinting on it as a hatchling immediately after it emerges from the egg. However, as shown in School of Dragons, adult Deathgrippers can be trained. If a person saves a Deathgripper's life, the dragon will be grateful towards its savior, and even allow itself to be ridden. Comparative Statistics Appearances ''How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Grimmel the Grisly managed to drug six Deathgrippers with their own venom, subjecting them to complete obedience so that they would only listen to his commands. The famed hunter was assisted by the Deathgrippers throughout his numerous hunting expeditions, including his quest to capture and kill Toothless. Ultimately, as they succeeded in forming a strong barrier around the latter and Hiccup in the sky, the Night Fury summoned lightning from the clouds that electrocuted the Deathgrippers and sent them falling into the ocean. It is unknown what became of the Deathgrippers afterward. Games Dragons: Rise of Berk The Deathgripper was introduced in this game in the October 2019 update. School of Dragons Deathgrippers were added to the game in the update 3.0.0. as trainable dragons. Dragons: Titan Uprising Several Deathgripper individuals, such as Marshland Deathgrippers, Miasmic Deathgrippers, Slaughterdijk, Sappheral, Fenrir's Eviscereaper, and Glaivedriver, and hybrids, appear in this game. Trivia * The official measurements given by DreamWorks Animation do not appear to be realistic when considering the relative sizes the viewer sees within the Franchise. Based on the Model Sheet for the Deathgripper, this dragon should have a Wingspan of ''39 feet. *The Deathgripper bears resemblance to Cloudjumper's concept art and may also be based on it. *The Deathgripper's green flammable acid is similar to the properties of the wildfire substance from Game of Thrones. *The Deathgripper is similar to the Sabre-Tooth Driver Dragon from the books. **Coincidentally, one of Grimmel's Deathgrippers has a damaged eye as a nod and a resemblance to One Eye from the books. References Site Navigation Category:Feared Dragons Category:Dragons that Spit Acid Category:Strong Dragons Category:How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Category:Medium Dragons Category:Dragons with Venom Category:Strike Class Category:Fast Dragons Category:Movie Dragons Category:Dragons: Titan Uprising Category:How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Dragon Species Category:Dragons: Titan Uprising Dragon Species